The present invention relates to a front attachment of a field chopping machine for picking and transporting stalk fruits standing in a row.
The DE-GM No. 7,118,507 discloses a front attachment of a field chopping machine, particularly a multi-row corn picking attachment, for a harvester in which outer hoods serving as outer stalk dividers are arranged pivotally on a supporting chassis of the picking attachment and are turnable inwardly to the central hooks. As a result of this, the width of the attachment can be reduced for street transportation to a value which does not exceed the legally required maximum width of 3 meters. The disadvantage of this proposal is, however, that the reduction of the entire width of the harvesting attachment can be provided by at most 50 cm, inasmuch as the supporting frame for the outer hoods which is provided with endless rotatably driven transporting elements is rigidly connected with the remaining supporting chassis of the attachment. With an operational width of the harvesting attachment over 3.5 m, or in other words in a harvesting attachment provided with more than four transporting passages, a reduction of the transporting width to the legally prescribed maximum value is no longer possible. For this case, the entire front attachment must be moved for the street transport by a special trailer in a known manner.